ERIC ED380661: Literacy and Adult Education in the 104th Congress: A Legislative Guide.

53 Pages·1995·0.96 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
CE 068 620
ED 380 661
Literacy and Adult Education in the 104th Congress: A
TITLE
Legislative Guide.
National Inst. for Literacy, Washington, DC.
INSTITUTION
PUB DATE
95
NOTE
53p.
PUB TYPE Non-Classroom Use (055)
Guides
Legal /Legislative /Regulatory Materials (090)
EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.
Adult Basic Education; *Adult Literacy; *Educational
DESCRIPTORS
Legislation; Educational Policy; *Federal
Legislation; *Literacy Education; Policy Formation;
*Politics of Education; Public Policy
*Adult Education Act; Congress 104th;
IDENTIFIERS
*Reauthorization Legislation; Workplace Literacy
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this publication is to inform the
literacy field of the effect that recent political changes in the
U.S. Congress could have on the literacy and adult basic education
(ABE) fields, how the various legislative processes work, and how
individuals in the literacy field can participate in the legislative
process.. The various steps in the traditional legislative
reauthorization process are outlined along with the roles played by
federal agency staff and Congressional staff at each step of the
reauthorization process. Steps that adult literacy and ABE
practitioners can take to become involved in the reauthorization
process are also listed. A timeline of key dates in the history of
the Adult Education Act (AEA) is presented along with an annotated
bibliography of three resources for literacy policy. The outlook on
public policy affecting adult education and adult literacy programs
in the 104th Congress, President Clinton's "Middle Class Bill of
Rights," and House and Senate Republican proposals regarding
education and training are discussed. The text of Title III of the
AEA is appended. (MN)
***********************************************************************
*
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
*
*
from the original document.
***********************************************************************
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
PURPOSE
1
INTRODUCTION
2
THE TRADITIONAL REAUTHORIZATION PROCESS
4
6
BEGINNNG THE REAUTHORIZATION PROCESS
THE BILL IS DRAFTED
7
THE PROPOSAL GOES TO CONGRESS
9
CONGRESS ACTS
9
THE BILL GOES TO THE FLOOR
11
THE VOTE, THE CONFERENCE, AND THE SIGNING
12
EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE OF TRADITIONAL
REAUTHORIZATION
12
CONCLUSION
15
HISTORY OF THE ADULT EDUCATION ACT
17
_RESOURCES FOR LITERACY POLICY
18
LEGISLATIVE OUTLOOK FOR THE 104TH CONGRESS
19
APPENDIX
THE COMPLETE ADULT EDUCATION ACT
3
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Ze9idettb,e guide
The purpose of this special NIFL publication is to let the literacy field
know what effect the recent political changes in the U.S. Congress could
have on the literacy and adult basic education fields, how the various
legislative processes work, and how you can be a participant in these
processes.
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INTRODUCTION
Where We are Now
1995 and 1996 promise to be tremendously important to the literacy field in the United
States. Change is inevitable, especially given the new Republican control of the House
and Senate. The Adult Education Act (AEA) is up for reauthorization in this Congress,
and the President and Congress will once again attempt to reform the welfare system. A
variety of proposals to redesign federally-supported job training and retraining programs
will also be considered. And there will almost certainly be efforts to "streamline
government" by modifying and eliminating federal programs and making significant cuts in
federal spending on domestic social programs.
All these initiatives will affect the programs chat receive the bulk of federal funding for
"second chance" services for adults, including literacy and adult basic education. If the
initiatives are approached boldly, as promised by both the Clinton Administration and the
change in
new leaders of the House and Senate, the cumulative result could be a dramatic
the structure, purposes, and outcomes of these programs.
The AEA is crucial because it provides the only federal dollars targeted exclusively for
educational services for adults who lack basic skills. In many cases, the AEA provides
support not only for stand-alone programs but also for services to clients of other major
federal programs, such as Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) and the Job Training
Partnership Act (JTPA). The AEA was last amended by the National Literacy Act of
1991. During 1995, Congress will decide whether to continue the authorization for the
AEA, and, if so, what form it should take.
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What Is Likely To Happen Next
As of the November 8 elections, the political and policy direction of the federal
government changed dramatically. Both the House of Representatives and the U.S.
Senate now have Republican majorities. This means that the legislative process in both
bodies is now controlled by the Republican party. The committees with jurisdiction over
education and training in both the House and Senate are now chaired by Republicans, both
committees have a majority of Republican members, and many Democrat staff members
have been replaced by Republican staff members.
What does this mean for the literacy field? First of all, the Republican majority believes
that the federal government is too big and overly controlling of state and local matters.
These beliefs are often translated as "too expensive" and "too prescriptive." So two likely
effects of the election are a reduction in spending on education, including adult education,
It is possible that, in the move to pay
and a transfer of power to the states and localities.
for tax cuts and to balance the budget, the Congress could make large spending cuts. In
fact, the elimination of whole agencies and programs is being seriously considered.
Another consequence of the change in Congressional control is that the two new chairs of
the education committees in the Horse and Senate both introduced legislation in the last
Congress that would create a new federal job training system. In both instances, the Adult
Education Act was included in the new system. For example, in Congressman Goodling's
CAREERS bill, a literacy block grant combined several of the adult education set-asides
and smaller programs into a single state grant.
As you can see, with regard to the reauthorization of the AEA, the question is no longer
what changes will be made to the current Act, but whether the federal adult education
program will be continued in its current form. It is critical for the literacy field to get
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involved in this legislative process, as well as in activities concerning legislation to reform
the welfare and job training systems. And to be involved effectively, you must understand
the process, have access to essential information (such as the current AEA), and then take
action.
What this Guide Offers
The purpose of this special publication is to provide you with the materials and knowledge
necessary to be educated consumers of the various proposals and to make your opinions
heard. Things are already moving forward, but it's not too late to join the conversation.
This publication contains:
a history of the AEA
a description of the reauthorization process
an outline of the key themes emerging from the Administration, Congress, and the
literacy field
a complete version of the AEA.
THE TRADITIONAL REAUTHORIZATION PROCESS
The legislative reauthorization process is not set in stone. While there are certain steps in
the process that are likely to occur, no two reauthorizations are quite the same. This
section is intended to familiarize you with the typical process of reauthorization of a
federal program. While the AEA reauthorization may not follow this script exactly, you
need to know about the standard process, since almost any Congressional action will be a
variation on this theme.
First of all, you may be wondering, "what is a 'reauthorization,' anyway?" There are two
basic kinds of programs created by Congress: discretionary programs and entitlements.
Entitlements, such as Social Security, are programs where the federal treasury must
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6-0
Con'greis does not
provide funds to anyone who meets the requirements of the law.
decide each year how much to spend on these programs; the funding depends on the
number of people who meet the legal requirements.
Congress and
As the name implies, discretionary programs are funded at the discretion of
authorized.
typically take two separate actions to be implemented. First they must be
for
This means Congress has to say it is all right to spend a specific amount of money
the Senate
such-and-such a purpose for a specific number of years. In both the House and
Authorizing
there are authorizing committees responsible for education legislation.
committees both create new programs and reauthorize existing programs for longer
the law or
periods of time. Of course, they can also eliminate programs by either repealing
allowing the authorization to lapse without renewal or reauthorization.
The second part of the discretionary program picture is the appropriations process.
it does not
Authorization merely allows the programs to be funded up to a specific level;
the program. The appropriations
guarantee that any federal money will be spent on
committees in the House and Senate actually divide up the federal funds among programs
in this way: the
and decide how much money each will get. We can think about it
programs), and the
authorizing committees open accounts (by creating authorized
down on for the
appropriations committees put money into the accounts, to be drawn
legislation. Many authorized programs receive no
purposes described in the authorizing
authorized.
appropriations (finding), but virtually all funded programs are
traditionally been
In the area of educational policy and legislation, programs have
legislation are on staggered five-
authorized for five year periods. The major categories of
generally focuses on one part of the educational system
year cycles, so that Congress
elementary and
during each two year period. In this past Congress, the 103rd, the
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secondary education bill was reauthorized for five more years. In 1995, the I Oth
Congress will look at the Vocational and Adult Education Acts. Of course, new
legislation can be raised at any time, just as the Goals 2000 school reform WI' was initiated
in the 103rd Congress.
Why does Congress only extend the life of these programs in five year increments? Why
not extend them for longer periods, or permanently? The primary reason is that Congress
has the responsibility for conducting regular reviews of programs -- evaluating tht ir
effectiveness and the level of need, taking into account new developments in the flo.ld, and
establishing new priorities. While there is always the danger of doing this too freciuntis.,,
like pulling up a carrot to check its growth, five years has been considered a reasonable
point in time to revisit, fine-tune, and possibly extend programs. But the five year cycle is
a matter of tradition, not law or rule.
BEGINNING THE RUUTHORIZATION PROCESS
Who starts the ball rolling? There is no one way reauthorizations take place, but the
action generally begins in the executive branch. Federal agencies usually take seriously
their Constitutional role of proposing to Congress how they would like to see a program
structured. In order to lead the way in influencing the future course of legislation, an
agency may start working on a proposal in the year before Congress takes up the
reauthorization.
What the Aeencv Does
In the case of the AEA, the Department of Education (ED) has created a
reauthorization working group of staff from across the agency and from the
Departments of Labor (DOL) and Health and Human Services (HHS). The group
has prepared background papers on key topics, held consultations with members of
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the literacy community, and developed options for improving the AEA. These
activities began last year and will continue throughout 1995. A Federal Register
announcement about reauthorization was part of ED's outreach, as were the
hearings held around the country to collect more input from the field.
What You Can Do
It is
This is the perfect time for the literacy field to be gearing up, just as ED is.
much easier to influence decisions early in the process. Responding to the notice
and attending the ED hearings are important activities but not enough. Groups
and organizations should arrive at a consensus for change, develop a clear,
collective message, and identify ways to deliver the message at key points
throughout the reauthorization process.
THE BILL IS DRAFTED
After developing options and implementing outreach efforts, ED staff will need to sit
down and write a reauthorization bill. This phase will probably occur early in 1995. If the
groundwork has been laid and there is consensus in the agency about the direction to take,
the drafting of legislation is relatively straightforward. The resulting proposal would
generally be transmitted to Congress for consideration as part of the President's overall
budget proposal for fiscal year 1996.
What Congressional Staff Does
During the 103rd Congress (1993-1994), the time and attention of Congressional
of the
members and staff were consumed with rewriting and reauthorization
school
nation's elementary and secondary education laws, on top of prior work on
reform and other related legislative matters. Now the authorizing committees are
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